It’s no secret that the Baltimore Ravens have a lot of holes to fill this offseason. After making the playoffs every year from 2008-2012, fans have come to expect the Ravens to be a consistent winner. They used to be a team that was consistently just one or two players away from competing for a Super Bowl every offseason. In order to become that type of team once again, they need to add some key pieces this offseason through either free agency or the draft.
Because they need more than just one impact player, some believe that the Ravens should trade back in this year’s draft. Baltimore sits in front of quarterback-needy teams like the Eagles, Rams and Texans, which puts them in a good position to switch spots with one of those teams and add one or more quality picks.
No General Manager likes hoarding selections on draft day more than Ozzie Newsome. With so many needs, it makes sense that the personnel department would want more opportunities to find quality contributors. However, the Ravens are rarely positioned so well in the draft. Baltimore is better off taking advantage of this unusual opportunity and standing pat at six.
John Harbaugh’s team needs playmakers. On defense, the Ravens averaged less than one turnover per game with a total of 14 during the 2016 season. On offense, the lack of speed was obvious. Kamar Aiken stepped up admirably in Steve Smith’s absence, but even with Smith returning, the Ravens lack a playmaker on offense for whom defensive coordinators need to game plan.
Regardless of how the five picks before them shake out, Ozzie Newsome has a better chance of finding a Pro Bowl player who can make an impact immediately if he stays in his current position. The Ravens desperately need to find one in this year’s draft class. For a team that has a history of picking Pro Bowl players in the first round, the Ravens have only landed one in the last five years, C.J. Mosley, and even he seemed to regress in his sophomore campaign.
History also says the Ravens should keep their high draft pick. Any time Newsome has picked 12th or better he has landed a Pro Bowler. In a few cases, he has found a future – or current – Hall of Famer. That list includes Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, Jamal Lewis, Chris McAlister, Duane Starks, Peter Boulware and Jonathan Ogden. Five of those players are retired and three of them are in the Ravens Ring of Honor. The two that aren’t are McAlister and Starks. Starks had 20 interceptions in four years with the Ravens, and McAlister, a three time Pro Bowler, is quite possibly the best cover corner in team history.
Ravens’ recent early round picks have been mixed with solid players like Courtney Upshaw, Jimmy Smith and Michael Oher, and complete whiffs like Sergio Kindle and Matt Elam. They’ve been a victim of their own success, frequently drafting as one of the last teams on the clock.
In 2016, Ozzie Newsome will be under the microscope more than he has ever been as the Ravens General Manager. With the sixth overall pick he needs to make sure he finds his next Ring of Honor player. The Ravens would be a lot better off with one great player instead of a handful of above average ones.
